


Independence Day

by CabbageOriley



Series: Broken Holidays Series [3]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Arguing, Bonding, Communication, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Independence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-30
Updated: 2017-05-30
Packaged: 2018-11-07 01:18:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11048289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CabbageOriley/pseuds/CabbageOriley
Summary: Stiles is fed up with the way the Sheriff is acting, so he finally stands up for himself and his new family.





	Independence Day

**Author's Note:**

> Here you go. A Sheriff centered fic. Constructive criticism is welcome- being mean is not. Thank you for taking the time to read and comment! I love my readers!

Fourth of July in America… Fireworks are supposed to be pretty, right? Well, these aren’t. These are ugly and dangerous. They leave residue on everything surrounding them. The Sheriff is left standing on the front porch of the Hale house. Door slammed in his face. He has clearly overstayed his welcome.   
He looks down at the bulging suitcase in his hands before looking over at the box of belongings beside his feet. Stiles can be heard singing “Independence Day” by Martina McBride at the top of his lungs inside the house. White doves and all that crap. He sighs and walks toward his cruiser.   
It had all started about twenty minutes ago. The Sheriff had been helping Stiles and Derek prepare for their Fourth of July dinner. It was just going to be the three of them because Stiles still did not like too many people around the baby. Stiles and Derek were busy in the kitchen, so when Gabriel started crying, the Sheriff did the right thing and went to comfort him.  
That’s it. That’s all that happened. And now he’s sitting in his cruiser waiting at a red light getting ready to turn left and head back to his empty home. That’s all that happened… Okay, that’s not all that happened.  
\-----

“Dad, why are you holding Gabe?”  
“He needed his papa,” the Sheriff hums as he bounces the baby from side to side.  
Stiles glares at him. “I thought we agreed we weren’t going to go running to him every time he cried. He has to learn how to comfort himself.” He storms over closer to them.  
“You might have agreed to that…”  
“He’s my and Derek’s son! What we agree to goes for you, too.” Stiles grabs Gabe and gently jerks him away from Noah.  
“Stiles, just go back to the kitchen. I can take care of him.”  
“You never listen to anything I say! I’m telling you I don’t want you here, and yet you are still here.” Stiles turns around and puts Gabe back in his crib. He nestles him onto the woodland themed crib pad. “You’re supposed to be napping, big guy.” He softly rubs his cheek and watches as his eyes begin to close again.  
The Sheriff understands that he has crossed a line in picking Gabe up again, but, when Stiles faces him, he asks a question out of curiosity.  
“By ‘I don’t want you here,’ do you mean here in this room with Gabe or here in this house?”  
Stiles’ eyes widen and he starts to dismiss his dad’s crazy thought, but then he stops. His eyebrows furrow closer together as he frowns. He’s not frowning at anyone or anything in particular. It’s just a frown of sudden realization. He raises his hand in front of him and opens his mouth. Shaking his head, he drops his hand and speaks. “Both.” His cheeks blush at the admission. “Both, I guess.”  
The Sheriff clenches his jaw and straightens.  
Stiles keeps talking. “I’m doing good, dad. The therapy has helped. With time, I’ve been able to adjust to things. Derek and I are good again. For a while, I couldn’t stand to look at him, but I’m finally attracted to him again. We… we had sex, and we were safe this time.” Stiles sighs happily. “I feel happy again. I feel like I’m actually capable of living this life with Gabe and Derek. And, if things work out the way they are seeming to, a few years down the road, we might try for another one. And, I’d actually enjoy it and want it from the start this time. That’s so crazy, right? But things are good.”  
The Sheriff turns and walks out of the nursery. Stiles follows as they begin to walk down the light tan hallway.  
“You’re still not listening to me, are you? Dad.” His dad is a big grump.  
“After all I did for you.”  
“Excuse me? After all you did for me…” Stiles stops in his tracks. He waits for his dad to stop too, but he doesn’t. “That includes ignoring me and planning things without my knowledge and against my will, right?”  
The Sheriff swirls around and stomps back to him. “I’ve apologized for that! We’ve gone to therapy and worked things out!”  
“Yeah, I’m better with it, but I still remember it. It’s never going to just be gone. And, yes, you have done things for me- things I appreciate, but… I’m growing up. Did grandma and grandpa stay with you and Mom after I was born? Or babcia and dziadek? They never would have invaded like you have. You need to move on.”  
“Move on?” He laughs an unamused laugh. “Move on from my son? You’re all I have left.”  
“You didn’t seem to act like that when I was pregnant.”  
The Sheriff turns and keeps walking. He continues into his bedroom and starts shoving his belongings into his suitcase.  
“Dad. I’m an adult, but it’s not like you’re losing me. I’ll always be here.”  
The Sheriff doesn’t speak. Stiles stares at him for a moment, thinking.  
“You know what? Okay. Act like a big baby. You know I’m right!” Stiles leaves, and returns moments later with a big cardboard box. He throws it onto the bed and is satisfied when it knows a few socks out of the suitcase. Socks that his dad just put there neatly arranged- bwahahaha. “Here’s a box. Take all of your stuff so you can leave in one trip!”  
\-----  
The Sheriff drops his belongings to the floor. He stands in front of his gun safe for a long while. Grabbing a handgun or a rifle and going to the range would feel so good right now. But he can’t, because they’re closed. It’s a national holiday after all. Darn you, 1776!  
He goes and plops down on the couch just because he can. Claudia would be furious. Not about the couch, but because of the way he is acting. He puts his head in his hands. He knows Stiles is right. It’s not his place to parent Gabe. And, he’s not in the position to impose his will on Stiles anymore either. He’s grown up. But, it’s so hard to change. It’s not easy to give things up so easily- empty nest and all of that.  
One moment, he had his child… the next, his son was having a son of his own. When Stiles refused to grow up and handle it, the Sheriff did his best to prepare and provide for his grandson. His focus and his energy went to doing what was right for the little boy. Yes, that meant ignoring Stiles in the process, but it’s all he knew to do. He wanted to respect Stiles’ wishes while preparing a good life for Gabriel.  
It’s not like he purposefully went behind Stiles’ back- he told him he didn’t want anything to do with it. But, he could have tried harder to listen later on. He wasn’t the one who planned the baby shower or the gender reveal, but he could have mentioned something about it just to make sure Stiles knew about it. He could have thought more about the good of his son at the moment instead of what Stiles’ scared and previous wishes were.  
Why did he have to be so headstrong? Why couldn’t he let things go and let Stiles in? He has ruined everything.

\----  
At 7:00, his doorbell rings. He is surprised to see it is Stiles. His son holds up a hand letting him know to zip it and not speak.  
“Every year on July 4th, we share a meal. Not everything is good between us. Part of that is my fault, but most of it is yours.”  
“Agreed.”  
Stiles nods. He shuffles his feet a bit. Not sure of how to really start. “So, the meal. Even though things are different this year, I still want to keep our tradition. I don’t want Gabe to miss out. Or Derek either. Or… or me, either. I was singing and dancing around, and Derek was kind enough to stop me and tell me I was being an idiot.”  
“He told you to come and apologize?”  
“No, he told me that with Gabe actually being left alone to sleep and you finally out of the house we could finally be less sneaky about our sexy sexy times, but that’s neither here nor there. After we finished at 4:00, he agreed with MY idea to come and invite you back for supper.”  
“But, Stiles, its 7:00.”  
Stiles grins. “We had round two.” He enjoys the way his dad squirms. “And round three, actually. But hey, I’m here. Inviting you for supper. A slightly late supper since he’s just now out of the shower and putting the food on the grill, but supper all the same. And, I’m letting you know that all you’re getting is a veggie burger not the real thing.”  
“Stiles,” the Sheriff begins. Stiles begins to cut him off to tell him he can have a small beef patty… a SMALL one because of cholesterol and sodium intake, but Noah stops him. “Stiles, I’m sorry. You’re right. About everything. But, I was too prideful and stuck in my ways to admit that before. I know you’re grown up. And, I know you’re finally happy. That makes me happy too. It’s just a big change. And you’re my kid. It doesn’t seem like you should know about infant sleep patterns and comforting, but you do. It doesn’t seem like you’re old enough to live on your own, but you are. I’m sorry for…”  
Stiles cuts him off with a hug. “I love you, Dad.”  
“I love you, too, son.”  
Stiles turns and heads back to his Jeep. “And, now we go back to my house and my family and eat my amazing dinner.” He opens the door but then stops to talk some more. “And when Derek and I decide we are ready for you to go, we will kick you out for the second time today because we can do that. We are adults, and he owns that house, and we can do that. I’m happy and I’m an adult and I can have sex with my soon to be fiancé.” Stiles gets into his Jeep and begins to back out of the driveway. He rolls his window down so his dad can hear him. “I have a son. He cries and poops a lot, but I love him and he loves me. I’m actually happy again!”  
As the two men travel down the road to the Hale house, the Sheriff follows the blue Jeep. The vehicle isn’t the same perfect baby blue it used to be. There are scrapes and dings. Rust and lots of touch ups. It has grown up. It has aged. Just like the man sitting inside.  
He can see Stiles’ wild motions and can hear his muffled voice when they come to stoplights. He doesn’t know if he is still listing off things he is happy about or if he is singing “Independence Day” again, but it doesn’t matter. He realizes he just is fine with either one.


End file.
